HMS E3
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| Career |
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| Laid down: | 27 April, 1911 |
| Launched: | |
| Commissioned: | 29th May 1914 |
| Status: | Lost with all hands, 18 October, 1914 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 665 tons (surfaced 796 tons (submerged) |
| Length: | 54.86 m |
| Beam: | 6.86 m |
| Draught: | 3.81 m |
| Propulsion: | Twin-shift, 2 x 1750 bhp Vickers diesel, 2 x 600 shp electric motors |
| Speed: | 15.25 knots (surfaced) 9.75 knots (submerged) |
| Range: | 325 nm surfaced |
| Endurance: | 24 days |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 28 ratings |
| Armament: | 1 x 18" bow tube 2 x 18" beam tubes 1 x 18" stern tube (10 torpedoes) |
The British submarine HMS E3 was one of the first British E class submarines to be constructeed, built at Barrow by Vickers in 1911 and 1912. Built with compartmentalisation and endurance not previously achievable, these were the best submarines in the Royal Navy at the start of the First World War, and they proved their worth throughout the conflict.
HMS E3 did not however share in that success, falling victim to the first ever successful attack on one submarine by another. On the 18 October 1914 the E3 was patrolling of Borkum in the North Sea and had spotted some German destroyers ahead but was unable to get into a position to take a shot at them. Unable to pass them, Commander Cholmley retreated into the bay to wait for them to disperse. As he did so, he faield to see that the bay was also occupied by U-27 which fired a single torpedo right into the centre of the British boat, breaking her in two. The two halves rapidly sank, taking all of the boats crew to the bottom with her.
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